• Space Stories: A Lopsided Universe, Cosmic Rings, and Clipper Captures Comet

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —Phys.org: “The Universe May Be Lopsided, New Research Suggests“ The shape of the universe is not something we often think about. My colleagues and I have published a new study that suggests it could be asymmetric or lopsided, meaning not the same in every direction. Should we care…

  • A Day in Astronomy: Death of Hermann Oberth

    On this day in 1989, rocket pioneer Hermann Julius Oberth died. He was born in Austria-Hungary in 1894 and at a young age was inspired by the rockets in the fictional stories by Jules Verne, such as From the Earth to the Moon. Oberth’s interest in the stories of Verne led him to build his…

  • Podcast: A Discussion with the Creator of Andor

    You are in for a treat if you are interested in a deeper dive into the world of Andor. Reason magazine’s podcast The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie has a eye-opening interview with Tony Gilroy, the creator, writer, and director of Andor. The series is without doubt the best of the Star Wars television series.…

  • Poll Results: Do You Believe in Aliens?

    You might find it comforting that more Americans believe in aliens than Bigfoot. Or maybe not. A recent YouGov poll found some interesting facts about Americans when it comes to aliens, including: These negative feeling towards both aliens and the government seem to be reflected in most of the recent television series and movies. The…

  • Pic of the Week: Merry Christmas!

  • Holiday Message from the ISS

    Santa’s gift-giving territory is pretty wide, but it is not clear whether he will make it to the International Space Station (ISS). However, the astronauts are ready if he does show up. They have hung their space boots by the airlock with cheer. For the complete ISS holiday message, play this video from NASA astronauts…

  • Space Quote: Should We Worry About Space Monopolies?

    “The comparison I often like to make is with the East India Company: a private British enterprise that became so powerful it could shape the politics of nations and at times had an army twice the size of Britain’s. It began as trade; it ended in domination. Could a similar dynamic unfold locally in our…

  • Space Stories: Russia to Re-purpose ISS Section, Second Mars Probe Approaching Lifespan, and Titan’s “Oceans” More Likely Ice

    Here are some recent space-related stories of interest. —ARSTecnica: “Russia is About to do the Most Russia Thing Ever with its Next Space Station“ For several years now, in discussing plans for its human spaceflight program beyond the International Space Station, Russian officials would proudly bring up the Russian Orbital Station, or ROS…Oleg Orlov, director of the…

  • Study Findings: A Carbon-rich Atmosphere on a Windy Pulsar Planet

    Abstract of pre-publication study findings: A handful of enigmatic Jupiter-mass objects have been discovered orbiting pulsars. One such object, PSR\,J2322-2650b, uniquely resembles a hot Jupiter exoplanet due to its minimum density of 1.8 g/cm^3 and its ~1900 K equilibrium temperature. We use JWST to observe PSR J2322-2650b’s emission spectrum across an entire orbit. In stark contrast…

  • Executive Order to Ensure American Space Superiority

    Just as Jared Isaacman, NASA’s new Administrator, started to settle into his new post, the White House updated the nation’s space priorities. A new executive order on Thursday, titled “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” provides clear goals for NASA, which includes: Adding nuclear reactors as its own goal seems a little odd since it could simply…